Updates downloaded but no install option

Server Update Service

I have a couple of 2003 and 2000 servers that are set to download updates and let me choose when to install them. They download updates from our WSUS server fine. However, there is no update notification shield in the taskbar, and since we use GPOs for WSUS configuration the "offer updates again that I've previously hidden" option in automatic updates is greyed out.

You should first of all check that you have not mistankenly enabled the policy "Remote access to use all Windows Update features" on any of the machines, that will also hide the notification icon. After that it also depends how you are connecting to these machines. The Notification Icon will be only presented to the first logged in administrative user. Incase the physical server console is logged on and you're using Remote Desktop to connect, it's likely that the icon is being presented to the physical console. In this case, the icon will not be seen in the Remote Desktop sessions. If you wish to engage the WUAgent UI from a Remote Desktop session, you'll need to ensure the physical console is logged off.

I didn't see it "Remote access to use all Windows Update features" part of group policy anywhere.

I did find the icon on the console session for 1 server. So that appears to be the first admin session. On my other 2 servers we either don't know who the first admin was, on in 1 case I saw the icon through RDP and looked at what updates were available but cancelled out of it because I didn't want to install updates at that time. Now I don't see the icon anymore either. Do you know of a command line trigger for the install or perhaps a registry setting to get the icon to reset and come up again?

Its normally implemented as a User policy and you will find it in the User Configuration >> Administrative Template >> Windows Components >> Windows Update. Incase the session is already active, then there is no way to take control of the icon, but if you use Administrative Tools >> Terminal Services Manager, then you can identify any diconnected TSAdmin sessions that might be stealing that primary session. You can try to use the TSMgr tool to log odd the user from those sessions.

I also encountered the problem of accessing the list of waiting Windows Updates when connecting to a server via Remote Desktop.

Lawrence is correct, only the console user will see the icon on the taskbar regarding WU, and unfortunately M$ apparantly didn't make any other way to access that list (at least not in Win 2003 Server).

I resolved that issue by connecting via Remote Desktop to the console session, as opposed to a regular remote desktop session, by issuing the command "mstsc /admin". I then entered the address of the server I wanted to connect to, and then I was connected to the existing console session. After a few seconds, I saw the taskbar icon for Windows Updates.

Be careful - it's as if you're sitting in front of the server itself, so don't do Shutdown! (I close the remote session by clicking on the X in that top bar that appears when using Remote Desktop)